{"id":52677,"date":"2020-07-17T14:10:31","date_gmt":"2020-07-17T20:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/trails-less-traveled-in-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2020-07-17T20:10:31","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T20:10:31","slug":"trails-less-traveled-in-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/trails-less-traveled-in-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Trails less traveled in Southwest Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Looking
Looking eastward from the summit of Jura Knob, the enchanting Grenadier Range and Needle Mountains are protected within the Weminuche Wilderness. Local recreation experts are asking both visitors and locals to spread out among the many trails the area has to offer, such as Jura Knob, instead of crowding the popular destinations.<\/span>Debra Van Winegarden\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

It is easy to understand the draw of Ice Lake\u2019s Caribbean blue water, or the challenge of Horse Gulch\u2019s climb to sweeping vistas. But overuse has trampled natural areas and introduced toilet paper and trash into the very landmarks that are known for their untouched beauty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of facilities at these trailheads,\u201d said Theresa Graven, spokeswoman for the Durango Area Tourism Office.<\/p>\n

A new rise in COVID-19 cases throughout the South and the West has travelers opting for outdoor adventures, but overtourism is starting to take a toll on these fragile environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are guided by convenience, and we are trying to figure out how to make things more convenient, such as receptacles,\u201d Graven said.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, The Durango Herald<\/em> compiled a list of lesser-known but just as resplendent hiking destinations for locals and visitors looking for an escape into the Southwest Colorado landscape.<\/p>\n

But equally important to remember when visiting these trails is to \u201cleave no trace,\u201d such as trash, and avoid tampering with the surrounding environment of the trail, Graven said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, consider the time of day you head out, and try to avoid the busier times of day by planning ahead and being ready to go,\u201d Graven said. Early mornings or later in the evening are times that these trails generally see less traffic.<\/p>\n

Little Molas Lake<\/div>\n
Silverton<\/div>\n

A Durango resident and former columnist for the Herald<\/em>, John Peel, recently published a new edition of \u201cHiking Trails of Southwestern Colorado.\u201d One of the first places he recommends that is guaranteed not to have a high number of passersby is the section of the Colorado Trail near Little Molas Pass. If hikers take a left to head West, \u201creally quickly you will be above the timber line,\u201d Peel said. From there, you can get panoramic views while avoiding crowds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my mind, it\u2019s an aesthetic thing,\u201d Peel said. \u201cIf I spend all day passing people on the trail, it\u2019s not as fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jura Knob<\/div>\n
Near Silverton<\/div>\n

\"Jura
Jura Knob, left of image center, has fewer crowds and more wildflowers than Engineer Mountain.<\/span>Debra Van Winegarden\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Jura Knob rises near U.S. Highway 550 in the San Juan Mountains. From Jura Knob, hikers can travel to Engineer Mountain or down to Deer Creek and see stretches of Weminuche Wilderness. The trails are moderately trafficked but easy to access. The slopes to the north are gentle and roll down to a 12,000-foot-high pass between Rolling Mountain and Twin Sisters. The southern slopes of Jura Knob have steep cliffs that could be intimidating to hikers wary of drop-offs.<\/p>\n

\"Hikers
Hikers Lynn Coburn and Janna Ranson leave Missionary Ridge and start down the Stevens Creek Trail.<\/span>Debra Van Winegarden\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cAlways check weather and trail conditions before you go, share the trail with other users and stay safe on the trails so you don\u2019t get hurt or require a rescue,\u201d Graven said.<\/p>\n

Stevens Creek<\/div>\n
Near Hermosa<\/div>\n

Following the trails leading out from Stevens Creek, hikers can travel to nearby Missionary Ridge. Up the road 3 miles, Stevens Creek Trail provides expansive views of the Animas Valley and surrounding forest. Engineer Mountain is also visible. The 7-mile trail is also available for horseback riding and camping.<\/p>\n

\"Island
Island Lake has the same aqua-blue hue of Ice Lake but is less overrun by tourists.<\/span>Courtesy of Christian Blackshear<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Island Lake<\/div>\n
Near Silverton<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re looking for the beautiful aqua-blue water of Ice Lake but don\u2019t want to crowd the trails there, Island Lake is a lesser-known option with the same Caribbean hue. The alpine lake can be reached from the South Mineral Campground on U.S. Forest Service Road 585. The steep 4-mile hike gains 3,000 feet in elevation and leads hikers to the basin of glacial waters.<\/p>\n

La Plata Canyon Trail<\/div>\n
Near Hesperus<\/div>\n

This 3.6-mile trail is lightly trafficked, with beautiful wildflowers. On AllTrails, the hike\u2019s difficulty level is rated as moderate. The surrounding area is also open to camping and mountain biking.<\/p>\n

Grayrock Peak<\/div>\n
Northwest of Purgatory<\/div>\n

Grayrock Peak is Graysill Mountain\u2019s highest point, a \u201cC-shaped\u201d area of uplift to the northwest of Purgatory Resort in the San Juan Mountains. Peel recommends going up the east fork of Hermosa Creek to Relay Creek Forest Road. There is some exposure on the trail, with a drop-off on both sides at 12,500 feet, but Peel said there are incredible views of the Weminuche Wilderness.<\/p>\n

In addition to these suggestions from Peel and Graven, there are more than 300 miles of trails within 30 minutes of downtown Durango. The tourism office encourages both visitors and locals to spread out and explore some trails less traveled.<\/p>\n

ehayes@durangoherald.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

on the trails during tourism season<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[13,28,658,4259],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-52677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-headlines","tag-hiking","tag-newsletter-sign-up"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52677\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52677"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=52677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}